Rivy, we're underground. In a vault. General store. Near a big barn. Had a big red sign. Trapped.

River received the message and promptly checked the ship's status. They were still being chased by the slavers, but they were gaining a comfortable difference between them. That said, the ship couldn't exactly turn around, fly past the other ship, give a wave, and go on their merry way. They had to continue moving forward.

There was only one thing to do.

"Zoe to the bridge," River evenly requested on the intercom system.

The first mate was only in the kitchen, so she arrived rather quickly. "River?"

"Rose needs assistance. The ship is incapable of returning to the planet. I request usage of Bad Wolf's Albatross 1 in order to return to our previous location to obtain the Captain and Rose Tyler."

"The what?"

"Shuttle 1."

"Can it get you by that ship and back to the planet in one piece?"

"Evade the slavers, yes. In one piece, cannot make promises. River and the others will be undamaged, if request is granted."

"You're just going to leave anyway."

"That is correct. Thought that I'd play nice before commandeering the vessel."

"I appreciate it. Go on. We'll be back when we can."

… … … … …

"Push harder, blondie!"

"I am pushing! You push harder, suspenders!"

Mal and Rose were attempting to move the lever together. They hardly wanted to work one-on-one, but they had no other options. It was pointless in any case. The lever had caught a rusty notch in the mechanism, and brute force wasn't able to loosen it.

"What if I took a shot at it? Literally," Rose held her gun in the air and Mal backed into the wall.

"Put that gorram thing away. If you shoot that in here, we'll be deaf and the bullet will bounce between the walls. You just might catch one in the head and become a strawberry blond."

"If you caught one in the head, it's go straight through."

"Are you trying to say that I ain't got a brain?"

"I'm surprised that you could figure that out."

He mumbled in Chinese under his breath, but Rose knew exactly what he said. So, she whacked his arm and he held a finger between them. "Truce, remember?"

"Truce," she testily agreed. There was something about being trapped in a closed-in space with little air and a grouchy Captain. It was getting under her skin and making her rather twitchy. Clearly, the idea of suffocating does not put many people in a good mood.

Suddenly, Mal began to pat himself down. "Where'd my knife go?"

"Probably fell out when we were running."

"When you were dragging me like a hunk of meat."

"I saved your life, thank you very much."

"They wouldn't have killed me. They would have sold me. Maybehaps to a pretty woman looking for something other than grunt work."

"Focus. What did you want a knife for?"

"Maybe I can get it in there and sort of wiggle it. Loosen something up."

"I might have mine," she finally found a small pocket knife in the same pouch as her bullets, and she forked it over to the Captain. "Go at it."

Mal went to the lever and got to work. It wasn't a minute before the lever fought back and sent the knife into palm. "Well, this just gets better and better. It'll probably get infected from the gorram rust…"

"If we don't suffocate first. There has to be a vent in here or something."

"Why would there be a vent? This is a vault. Money doesn't breathe, last time I checked."

She tossed a glare. "You don't have to be so cranky."

"I have a thing about slowly dying. Doesn't really bring out the best in me."

"River will be here soon and she'll get us out."

"Maybe. But, I'm stilling going at this lever. Now, it's personal."

"What are you playing at? You've already cut yourself with that thing. I'll give it a try. Give me that knife."

She took it by force and returned to the task at hand. He folded his arms and scowled. "Do you always take matters into your own hands, blondie?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

… … … … …

It was not an easy task. The slavers' ship noticed the shuttle trying to slide by, so it did take a few hits. Luckily, River's piloting capabilities got her through the rough patches and she was on her way to the planet. She decided to check on Serenity.

"Situation?"

"Zoe's at the controls," Jayne grunted. "Ain't doing a good job."

"Jayne!" Kaylee's voice hissed with the sound of a slap to the arm. "You're doing shiny, Zoe."

"Not exactly. We're running out of fuel and they're getting closer. Why won't they just leave us be?"

"Like the tough catches the best. Means good inventory. A compliment. Enjoy it. Get to the nearest moon. High security. Will scare them off," River suggested as she neared her destination. "Must go. Albatross ready for landing."

River broke through the atmosphere and piloted towards the correct town. She could sense that the air was leaving the vault at a dangerous speed, so she went as fast as she could. The fuel tank was running low, so no matter what they'd be stuck until Serenity returned.

Whenever that would be.

… … … … … …

"Faster," Mal ordered with the slightest wheeze.

Rose sent a glower. "I'm trying to keep my hand safe, unlike you."

"I'm trying to keep my lungs safe, so get with it."

She felt it give a tiny bit, but it wasn't enough. They could feel themselves sliding further and further into a lack of oxygen. Both of them were feeling too weak and too cloudy to do much else, so they sat on the floor next to each other and tried to remain calm.

"If we get out of this, I want you to know that I've really, really disliked you," Rose patted his injured hand.

He nodded. "Yeah. I feel the same way."

"So, we're on the same page. Finally."

"Looks that way," he gave her a quick glance. "You sure about River?"

"Yeah. Never really been so sure about anything. Some things are just right."

"If she were in here with me, what'd you do?"

"Rip apart all the universes to save her."

"Even if you had to get ripped up too?"

"In a heartbeat."

He sucked in a shaky breath. "Well. Sounds like you really love her."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you."

"Well. Maybe I'll dislike you a little less. For the five or six minutes we have left."

"I'll dislike you less if you dislike me less."

"So, less disliking. Both fronts."

"It's a deal."

They shook on it and he slowly sighed. "Still not gonna like you. Are you going to ever like me?"

"Not a chance in hell, mate."

"Good."

Mal was almost positive that they wouldn't make it out alive, but Rose had faith that River was on her way. And, she was right. She wasn't the only one who would cut her way through worlds. River would do even worse if she had to, and nothing could keep her from Rose. Absolutely nothing. Including the group of fifteen slavers still scavenging the area.

She took them down with nothing but her feet and fists, plus a large knife she lifted from one of the men. After that, she looked for the correct store with the red sign. There were three general stores with some sort of red. Red background, red letters, and a red outline.

Of course.

However, Rose wasn't ready to give up. She figured that she could send one more message, and she'd want her final seconds to be spent thinking of River.

River, in the vault. Air almost gone. You'll always be the last thought in my head.

On the surface, River closed her eyes. She felt the message and its source, so she darted into the proper shop and easily found the release button. Few things can hide from a reader.

As the door lifted, Mal looked in amazement. Rose wasn't surprised at all. She tiredly went up the steps to wrap River in an embrace and share a deep kiss. Mal just groaned at their closeness and lethargically walked around them.

"You can get your faces tangled up later. Let's go home 'fore blondie gets me trapped someplace else."

"Can't. Shuttle is damaged and low on fuel. Must wait for Serenity," River informed him.

He sunk against the door. "I can't take you two anywhere."